Tropical Cyclone (TC) Seroja is a unique tropical cyclone that has significant impacts along its path, such as floods in East Nusa Tenggara and high waves along the southern coast of Indonesia. Research related to ocean responses to tropical cyclones in Indonesia is still limited due to its rarely occurence in Indonesian waters. The responses of the upper ocean to TC Seroja were investigated using multi-satellite remote sensing of sea surface wind (SSW), sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height anomaly (SSHA), and numerical model of mixed layer depth (MLD) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a). The SST cooling occurred around the TC Seroja track at 0.5 – 3°C after the storm had passed. During April 3 – 7, 2021, in addition to spatial SST cooling, changes in chlorophyll-a, SSHA, and MLD were also detected. The chlorophyll-a increase to 2.57 mg/m3 and SSHA reached -10 cm. Thus, the MLD was deeper around the eye of the storm during the cyclone and became uniform after the storm passed. These characteristics indicate the upwelling phenomenon induced by the cyclone.
Tropical cyclone (TC) passage triggers a complex response from the adjacent ocean, including vertical mixing, leading to biochemical alterations and affecting the surrounding ecosystem’s dynamics. In previous studies, increased nutrient concentrations and primary production were observed along the cyclone track after the storm. TC Seroja was awakened near the equator in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean, making it interesting to investigate how the ambient ecosystem responds. Hence, we analyzed the sea surface temperature and nutrient changes during the Seroja event using multi-satellite remote sensing and numerical model data in the south of Indonesia and East Timor along the Seroja track between April 2 and 10, 2021. Immediately after the TC Seroja passed, the sea surface temperature cooled to 3 °C around the TC lane. At the same time, the spatial distribution patterns showed the upsurge of some nutrients in response to the passage of TC Seroja; the surface nitrate swells up to 1.5 mmol/m3, while phosphate increased up to 0.2 mmol/m3, and the dissolved silicate concentration enhanced up to 1.0 mmol/m3. The responses recover within 2-7 days. These results indicate that tropical cyclones contribute to nutrient enrichment in oligotrophic areas outside of their usual annual upwelling time, thereby further supporting ecosystem sustainability.
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